The Black Rose Duelist
by ShadowFoxx15
Summary: After Seto breaks up a near fight between Weevil and Sapphire, she goes to bed for the night, only to have her sleep interrupted by spies of Lancaster!
1. Rose 1: Enter the Rose Duelist

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "YGO: Duelists of the Roses". I only own Sapphire. She will be introduced in this chapter. 

-Chapter 1: Enter the Rose Duelist!-

"Hurry up young lady! We don't have all day!" A woman's shrill voice rang out amongst the cardboard jungle in the back of the moving van. "Sapphire!" She yelled again.

"Alright! Give me a second, mom." Sapphire yawned. She had fallen asleep. She grabbed some boxes to make it look like she was busy, and headed for her family's new home. Her great grandfather had recently died and had left his ancestral home to her dad, Stephen. Apparently, her family on her father's side was a powerful entity, until the War of the Roses. At least, that's the way her father told it.  
Speaking of, he was in the study, admiring the many books and documents that his grandfather had left behind. "Hey, how's my favorite daughter doing?"

Sapphire rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'm an only child."

He merely smiled in response. "That makes you my favorite."

Sapphire sighed. "Can you show me the way to my room? I have no idea where it is, and mom doesn't seem to be in the mood for a guided tour."

Her father smiled and nodded. "But, before I do, I want you to take this. Grandfather Miachel left this for you, in his will." He handed her a large, leather-bound volume, with a shield on the front, featuring a rose.

"Yay. I got a book." She said with unmasked sarcasm.

Later, after she had found her new room, she flopped on her bed, and took out the book. Opening it, however, proved to be impossible. "Huh. That's weird."

_'Rose Duelist.'_ A voice called out from nowhere.

Sapphire snapped her head around, looking for the source. "...Okay. I think I need a nap." She rolled over, and went to sleep, leaving her fears behind.

As she slept, she dreamt she was falling through the sky. _'Hey, am I falling towards...Stonehenge? Wow, this is a weird dream...'_ But, as fate would have it┘.she slammed into the ground, hard.

"Ow! What the hell?" Sapphire rubbed the back of her head. "Last time I checked, dreams weren't supposed to hurt!" She paused. "Wait, did I just fall from the sky?"

"Not exactly." A hurried voice answered.

"AAAHHHH!" the brunette whirled around to meet the eyes of a short man in robes. "Don't scare me like that! Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here?"

The man bowed. "I am Simon McMorre. I have summoned you here, Rose Duelist. May I ask for your name? She hesitated.

"Sapphire."

"Now, allow me to explain what you are doing here. I have summoned you here, because my king is in desperate need of your help. We are under attack from the Yorkists. We need you to fight them off."

"How? I've never held a sword or a gun in my life."

"Not with weapons, but with this." He held out three decks of Duel Monsters cards.

Sapphire raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I've got to duel them?"

Simon nodded. "Do you know this game?" "I've played it plenty of times at home."

"But, this is not the same game as you know. You must understand this now."

After a quick tutorial, Sapphire nodded knowingly. "So, it's like Duel Monsters, but you have to move the pieces around like a game of chess?"

"Correct." Simon held out three decks. "Now, you must choose your deck master."

After much consideration, Sapphire picked up a deck with Birdface on top. "This is my choice."

"Good. Now we must-"

Simon was cut off by a new voice. "Well, this is where you have been hiding, old man. I must say that this is going to be easier than I thought." A man stepped from the shadows. An incredibly dark looking individual stepped from the shadows. "You even brought me the key to my victory." He smirked at the smaller man. "Who knew you could perform such a powerful spell by combining the white and red rose cards?"

Sapphire stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but, who are you?"

The man turned so they were face to face. "I am C. Rozencruz, head of the Rose Crusaders. Now, who are _you_?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**-  
SF15:** Well, I do believe that this is my first post in a story. This a monumental occasion! I think I'm going to have to throw a party for this! Whoo! Sorry. I got a tad bit carried away. Well, I hope you liked this story so far, and please give me any ideas to make this story better! I thank you for your cooperation.


	2. Rose 2:A Descision is Made!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-gi-oh! or any characters involved. I only own Sapphire.

**WARNING:** There will be some swearing in this chapter. You have been warned.

**--Chapter 2: A decision is made!--**

"Now, who are you?" The newcomer glowered at Sapphire, making her insides run cold.

"My...my name is Sapphire..." she almost whispered.

"The Rose Duelist?" Rozencruz seemed surprised.

"What are you doing here, Rozencruz?" Simon demanded.

The knight turned on the priest. "Has your memory faded so quickly? I told you that you are to refer to me as Seto." Seto turned to Sapphire. "I have a proposition for you. I know that you don't belong here, so I want to send you back where you belong. You do want that, don't you?"

"...yes." Sapphire locked her eyes on Seto's icy blue ones. "I do want that."

"Good. Then allow me to make a deal with you. If you join me, and get me all the red rose cards, I will send you home. Or, you can be crushed along with the other forces of Trudor."

Sapphire remained silent.

"Here. I have two roses. A white one for me, and a red one for the senile old man over there. Choose the rose of the side you choose."

"Sapphire, in the name of justice, choose the red rose!" Simon pleaded.

Sapphire was silent for many moments. Finally, she walked up to Seto, and looked up at him. "So, if I join you, and get you these 'Rose Cards', you will send me home, no strings attached?" She rethought her words. "With no hidden costs?"

Seto nodded and smiled. "Yes. I promise this on my honor as a knight."

Sapphire reached up to grab a rose, then Simon stopped her. "Please, Rose Duelist! Think this over carefully! He is only using you!"

"...Isn't that why you summoned me? To use me to win this war of yours?"

Simon was stunned.

Sapphire turned on him. "You dragged me into this! I never wanted this! I just wanted to live my life, and not have to deal with weird shit like this! You just wanted to use me to win this war, and get the upper hand on the Yorkists, right?!"Simon was silent. "Well?! Answer me, damn you!" She grabbed him by the front of his robes. "How dare you talk about how Seto just wants to use me, when you were planning to do the very same! You goddamn hypocrite!" She threw him down, tears in her eyes. "Forget this! I just want to go home...I never wanted to be dragged into a war that has nothing to do with me...I...I...Screw it!" She stalked over to Seto, and snatched the white rose from his grip, letting the red rose drop to the ground. "I will do what I have to...to get home. Even if it means selling my soul to the proverbial devil."

Seto smiled. "You have made a smart decision. I will not betray your trust. Now," he turned to Simon. "Take him away." A few guards cane out of the shadows, and carried the priest away.

"Take heed, Rose Duelist! You will soon see the errors of your ways! Henry Trudor and the Lancastrians will never let the Yorkists get their hands on the Red Rose Cards! Never!" He continued to yell as he was dragged away.

Sapphire turned to Seto. "Thank you. I might've done something I would regret. He was getting on my nerves."

Seto bowed. "My pleasure. Now, we must outfit you in some armor. These..._clothes_...make you vulnerable. I feel that some quality armor is in order." He turned away. "Come. I will lead you into our camp."

Sapphire nodded and followed him to a horse. A magnificent creature, a pure white mare, with dark blue eyes, that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

Sapphire gasped. "She's beautiful..."

Seto smiled at the compliment, and stroked the beast's massive side. "Yes. The finest mare in all of Europe." Seto swung his leg over, and held out a hand to a surprised Sapphire. After a moment's hesitation on her part, Seto sighed and said "Here. I'll help you on."

Sapphire gulped, and took his hand. As soon as she was on, he nudged the mare to start moving towards the York camp.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**SF15:** Well, that's chapter two. I hope you don't hate Sapphire too much...she is just doing what she thinks she has to...


	3. Rose 3: A Time to Train

**Disclaimer:** I only own Sapphire. Not Yu-Gi-Oh!(Kazuki Takahashi/ Shonen Jump) or the concept of The Duelists of the Roses (Konami). So, if I see a lawyer at my door, I know who to blame. 

**--Chapter 3: The Time to Train--**

Sapphire rode into the Yorkist camp on the back of Seto's white mare, and she was greeted with stares from the soldiers. Seto had dismounted, and was pulling the horse with her on it.

She looked around in amazement. "Wow. This is a pretty big army."

Seto turned his head towards her, a small smile on his face. "They will soon be yours to command."

"What?! I'm the person who's gonna command this army?!"

Seto turned away and nodded his head. "Yes. I had this army mobilized in case my superior's assumptions about Simon summoning the Rose Duelist were true. I just can't believe a young girl such as yourself will lead us to victory against the Lancastrians." He chuckled. "You can't even ride a horse by yourself."

Sapphire looked agitated. "First off, I would be considered a 'young woman' in my time. And second, it worked for Joan of Arc, so why not for me? I won't even be fighting, right? I just need to get the Rose Cards."

Seto nodded again. "These men will do the fighting for you. If you are ever in danger, milady, just call upon them. Now for the difficult task." He stopped and stepped upon a platform. "Men!" Immediately, all of the men stopped what they were doing to look at Seto. "I have returned, only to inform that our suspicions were, in fact, correct. The Lancastrians have chosen to summon the Rose Duelist."

There were murmurs from the crowd, some of bravery, others of fear. Seto held up his armored hand, and they instantly went silent. "But, we have nothing to fear from her. In fact, she has decided to join us on our noble quest to keep the throne from all those who would dare challenge the might of the Yorkist house!"

All the soldiers cheered. They liked this idea.

Seto gently grabbed Sapphire's arm. "Come here. The men want to see you."

Sapphire gulped, and allowed herself to be dragged up on the stage. She lowered her head, so her face could not be seen by anyone, and she began to fidget under the piercing stares of the men before her.

Someone walked up in front of her, and tilted her head up with a gentle nudge of his hand. "My, such rare eyes. You are indeed a lovely one." Sapphire's blood ran cold. The man before her had long white hair, and reddish eyes. In a show of gentlemanly courtesy, he bowed and kissed her hand. "I am Pegasus. The current leader of the Yorkists. And you are-"

"Sapphire." She mumbled. She could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

"Seto."

Seto bowed. "Sir?"

"I wish to speak with you. Come and see me after Sapphire-chan has been outfitted with the proper armor."

"Yes, commander."

"I bid you adieu, milady." Pegasus smiled and left.

Sapphire released a pent-up breath that she didn't know she was holding. _'That guy was really creepy. And what's with the 'Sapphire-chan'? I'm not a child!'_

"Milady." Seto interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, Seto?"

Seto gestured to a tent. "We must get you some armor. Follow me, please." Sapphire merely nodded. She just hoped she would never have to deal with that man, Pegasus, again.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Later, inside Pegasus' tent, Seto and his commander were having a rather heated discussion.

"Why are you doing this? Leaving her alone? She can barely ride a horse, let alone lead an army!"(A/N:This seems to be a running gag with him ;;)

"You will watch the tone you use with me, C. Rozencruz!" Pegasus snapped.

Seto calmed down...a little.

"You and I need to go home to report. And we might as well stay there. The prophecies about the Rose Duelist say that she will bring victory to the side she fights on. And she has chosen ours. So, by that logic, we have nothing more to fear from the Lancastrians. And, since their most powerful spell caster is in our dungeons, we have all the more reason to leave things in her capable hands."

Seto refused to be convinced. "With all due respect, sir, I still stand by my conviction that someone should stay here to help her."

"Which is exactly why I had these two brought in."

Seto audibly groaned. "Not them."

Pegasus smiled again. "Yes, them." He turned his direction to the door. "You can come in now."

Two figures walked into the tent, and bowed politely to their commanding officers.

"Weevil. Rex. I am personally leaving the Rose Duelist in your capable hands."

Weevil smiled in his usually creepy way. "I thank you for this opportunity to prove my worth as a duelist, sir."

"And I as well." Rex chimed in.

"I just want to make one thing clear." Seto looked at them with an evil look on his face. "If she fails because of you, I will kill you myself."

They flinched. "Y-yes commander."

"O-of course, commander." Then they left in a hurry.

_'Let us pray that she has some sense of what she is doing.'_ Seto thought to himself.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Sapphire was adjusting a strap on her new armor, a silvery masterpiece, featuring a blue-eyes white dragon wing covering her chest, and another protruding from her shoulder guard. A billowy blue cape trailed behind her, and her legs were seemingly cast in silver boots.

Seto walked past, and Sapphire grabbed his attention with a wave of her gauntlet covered hand, and a loud, "Hey!"

He turned towards her. "Yes?"

She twirled in front of him. "How do I look?"

Seto smiled at her. "Like a knight."

She smiled in appreciation, but it quickly faded to worry when Seto began to scowl again.

"What is it?"

"Your new advisors. And I use that term loosely."

"Advisors?"

"That would be us, Milady." Two voices chorused.

Sapphire looked down to find two boys at her front. One of them had short blue-green hair, and just looking at him gave Sapphire the creeps. The other had brown hair with a violet bang in the front, and he had a stupid-looking grin on his face.

"I am Weevil, and this is Rex. We are also duelists, although we are clearly not of Milady's caliber." Weevil bowed.

"Um...hello?"

"Milady, I have a request." Rex piped up.

'Already?' Sapphire blinked, and assumed a more dominant demeanor. "What is it?"

"We would like to duel you. A...Practice Duel, if you will. We would simply like to test your abilities, so that we can advise you in the best way possible." Weevil smiled, giving Sapphire the major creeps.

"That's absurd! You just want to humiliate her, because you are no longer one of the duelists we rely on!" Seto snapped.

"No." Sapphire said. "I will duel them."

Weevil chuckled. "Good, you do not give in to a challenge. This is promising..."

Seto could shake the feelings that he had. He knew she would either lose to one of them, or buckle under the pressure. She was still too inexperienced! But, still, he had to trust her, no matter what.

Rex stepped forward. "Let us get started, shall we?" He placed a deck of cards on the table next to him. "I have chosen our field. The field comprised of Wasteland, with some squares of mountains in the corners, but not enough to give Sapphire any kind of an advantage.

Sapphire walked over to the other side of the table, and placed her deck down. "I am ready whenever you are."

"Very well." Rex chuckled. _'I have this duel already won! Little does the so called "Rose Duelist" realize that I will be the one to send her back to the pit of defeat, where scum like her belong'  
'This might be only a 'practice duel' , but Rex and Weevil seem to take this very seriously. I think they might be up to something...but what?'_

"Duel!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
**SF15:** Whew! That has to be the longest chapter I have written so far! ...Wait...it is. Go figure. (0.o) Anyways, please read and review!


	4. Rose 4: The Taste of Defeat

**To The Duelist's Heiress:** I apologize for the long wait, but with my lack of internet now fixed, I can remedy the need for a new chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I only own Sapphire.

Chapter 4: The Taste of Defeat

Sapphire looked at her opening hand. It didn't seem very promising. She only had a few weak monsters and no place on the board to her advantage.

'_I'd better be careful. Rex doesn't seem like the type to play nice with the new kid.'_ She laid her card down, and moved her deck master to a new location. "I end my turn!"

Rex merely smiled and played Two-Headed King Rex in attack mode.

The chase had begun.

For the next few turns, it seemed like Rex was totally dominating Sapphire. All of her monsters fell to Rex's powerhouse, making things more and more complicated for Sapphire.

'_Damn. What should I do? Seto's counting on me. Everyone's counting on me. I have to win this.'_ She drew a card. _'That's it! And my deck master's in the best position to play it!' _

Rex saw a smile come to Sapphire's face. "Why are you smiling? I'm about to crush you!"

"I don't think it's about the size of your monsters right off the bat, but the abilities you grant to them to allow them to become strong." Sapphire held up a card. "Like this. I'm granting 'mountain' to my creatures."

Rex smirked. "Like that will help you."

Sapphire's smile stayed in place. "Look where I'm playing it."

Rex's smile fell. She was playing smack in the middle of the board, making the whole board in her favor.

"N-no…"

"Oh, yes. And now it's time for some payback. I fuse two monsters together to summon Crimson Sunbird!"

Sapphire's new monster demolished all hopes Rex had, and all because he had them all riding on one monster.

As his life points dropped to zero, Rex whimpered. "All right, you win."

Sapphire smirked. "Of course I won. I am the Rose Duelist after all."

Weevil spoke up for the first time in a while. "We shall see. You still have to face me, Milady."

"What? Is one victory not enough for you?"

"No. In order for the both of us to advise you properly, I need to know where you stand against me as well as Rex. He's the easy one. You shouldn't get a swelled head over beating him."

"Hey!"

"It's not nice to be talking down to your friends like that." Sapphire couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was beginning to sound like a really bad idea. "He really was doing good against me for a while there."

"This is why I doubt you."

"You sonofa-"

Seto chose to step in at that moment. "That is enough! Lady Sapphire is tired, and needs rest. She has had a long day." He pulled her away from Weevil, and led her to her tent. "You shouldn't let people like that draw you into a fight."

"I could've kicked his scrawny ass!" Sapphire was really riled up. "I just can't stand it when people do that to others. Talk down to them, I mean. Rex was only supposed to be testing me, right?"

"Not exactly. Those two wanted to humiliate you in front of everyone. I let you have the duel with Rex, because his skills do need some improvement, and you could have easily beaten him."

Sapphire remained silent, her eyes fixed on her shoes.

"Weakness will not be tolerated in this army. If you lose, even once, the men will begin to doubt you."

"It's not fair. I just get thrown into this, and I'm expected to win?"

"Unfortunately. Just do your best and you'll achieve victory. I have faith in you." He placed a hand on her shoulder, and bid her goodnight.

"I'm glad somebody does." She muttered before going into her tent for the night.

After changing out of her armor into something that was more suitable for bed, Sapphire doused her light, and curled up to go to sleep.

A few hours later, she woke up to the sounds of rustling outside her tent.

"Do you think they're asleep?" A quiet male voice asked.

"Of course! Now, don't say anything! We're here to watch the enemy!" Another hushed voice spoke.

Sapphire wondered if they knew they were being way too loud.

She poked her head out of the tent near where the voices were, and discovered two boys about her age in the bushes. One was a blonde and the other was a brunette.

The blonde was staring intently at the camp, trying to gather information, while the brunette was praying to whoever would listen that they didn't get caught.

Sapphire decided to chance a greeting. "Hey!" She whispered.

The two boys jumped. Brunette hid, while Blonde drew his sword.

"You guys do realize that you should've been caught a while ago?"

"Like a man like me needs advice from a girl on the art of information gathering."

"No, you just need advice on how not to get caught."

"You are rather self-assured for a girl." He brought his sword closer to her neck.

"Ah-ah-ah. Careful. All I have to do is scream, and the guards all come running."

"Why haven't you done it already?"

"I'd feel bad if I did. Besides, I'm tired, and I really want to go back to bed. So, if you leave now, I won't say anything."

"Do you swear?"

"On my honor as a young lady." Sapphire mocked bowed.

The blonde, still suspicious, drug his friend away, his sword still pointed at Sapphire.

Once he was out of sight, Sapphire went back to bed.

**SF15:** That's all for now. It's over nine hundred words. I did good for one day.


End file.
